Category Archives: Australia news

Linda Reynolds v Brittany Higgins defamation trial to hear final arguments

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The five-week trial is scheduled to conclude after Reynolds’ lawyer Martin Bennett delivers his last remarks

Western Australia’s supreme court is on Wednesday due to hear the last arguments in the defamation trial brought by the Liberal senator Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins, before the judge begins his deliberations.

The five-week trial, which began at the start of August, is scheduled to conclude after Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, delivers his final remarks.

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Australia news live: Murray Watt ‘concerned’ at Iran reaction to ambassador’s social media posts; children removed from AI image database

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IRNA said the foreign ministry summoned the Australian ambassador Ian McConville to Tehran, and condemned the publication of photos on social media. Follow today’s news live

Tehan responds to Asio boss’s accusation his comments on Palestinians have been ‘distorted’

Dan Tehan was also asked about comments from Asio boss Mike Burgess, who used an interview with the ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday to hit back at people who had “distorted” what he had previously said about the security vetting process for Palestinians seeking to come to Australia.

I won’t talk about what Mike Burgess may or may not be talking about when he says that. As you know, we had the prime minister also leave an important sentence out of what Mike Burgess said in the parliament, which basically distorted what Mike Burgess was saying. But I’ll leave that up to Mike Burgess, because our issue has never been with [him]. Our issue is with the prime minister …

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Rob Stokes declines role on committee to run NSW Liberals after being named by federal executive

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Former NSW minister Stokes had not been told about committee, its composition or terms of reference ahead of the public announcement, source says

The federal Liberal executive did not tell former New South Wales planning minister Rob Stokes that he would be named as part of a three-person committee it wanted to run the state division for almost a year.

The senior party figure refused the position after the federal team demanded the state executive appoint a temporary committee of three to run the troubled division which failed to nominate candidates for some NSW councils.

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NSW minister admits child protection system will continue using motels hours after suggesting ban

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Kate Washington tells hearing ‘accredited providers’ will continue with hotel and motel placements for children removed from families

The minister in charge of New South Wales’ troubled child protection system has admitted that vulnerable children will continue to be housed in hotels and motels – just hours after suggesting such emergency accommodation would be banned.

The state’s families minister, Kate Washington, told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday that “accredited providers” would continue to operate hotel and motel placements for children who had been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect.

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Regulator may take action against three energy retailers over alleged misuse of Centrepay system

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Australian Energy Regulator weighs up enforcement options against AGL, Origin and Ergon Energy after landmark court win

The national energy regulator is weighing up whether to take new action against three retailers for their alleged use of the Centrepay system after a landmark court win against AGL.

The Australian Energy Regulator won a major case in the federal court against AGL in August after alleging the energy giant used the government-run payment system to wrongly take welfare money from almost 500 customers for years after they ceased being customers.

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‘A symbol of our nation’: waratah among 20 more species added to Australia’s threatened wildlife list

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The fresh listings bring the total number of endangered plants, animals and ecosystems to almost 2,250

Twenty more plants and animals, including a type of waratah, have been added to Australia’s list of threatened wildlife, bringing the total number of endangered species and ecosystems to almost 2,250.

The fresh listings come as the government faces a battle to pass legislation for a new national environment watchdog in the Senate, while Labor has also been under pressure from the Greens and Coalition about delays to a broader package of reforms to the country’s environment laws.

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Elle Macpherson refused chemotherapy after secret breast cancer diagnosis

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Supermodel says she is in remission after being diagnosed seven years ago and rejecting traditional medicine

Elle Macpherson has said she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago but is now in remission despite refusing chemotherapy.

The Australian supermodel and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s, is publishing a memoir – Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself – in which she says she took a holistic approach to the illness, going against the advice of 32 doctors.

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Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz put French home up for sale for $690,000

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The house near Bordeaux, which has a pool and is set in more than an acre of land, is being sold to pay legal fees

Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz have put their French home on the market, weeks after flagging that the property had to be sold to fund mounting legal fees.

An advertisement for the house, east of Bordeaux, shows it is listed for $690,000.

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Duo rescued from stricken yacht off NSW coast say it ‘could have got worse’ – but one is already planning next boat trip

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Sailors enjoy meat pie and dry land after being saved following 19-hour ordeal

The two people rescued from a yacht off Sydney’s coast have said they are very glad to be back on dry land and were treated to a meat pie and cup of coffee after spending 19 hours clinging to their stricken yacht.

But one of the pair – 48-year-old Lisa – has said she will be back out on the ocean as soon as Thursday.

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Sky News’ Peta Credlin helped draft Brittany Higgins’ 2021 media statement, court told

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Lawyer for Linda Reynolds tells defamation trial Credlin was told ‘completely rework wherever you see fit’

The Sky News columnist and former chief of staff to Tony Abbott Peta Credlin helped draft Brittany Higgins’ statement given to media in 2021, after her rape allegations were made public, a court has been told.

In closing arguments to Western Australia’s supreme court, where Linda Reynolds is suing Higgins for defamation, Reynolds’ lawyer Martin Bennett on Tuesday said Higgins had a “visceral hatred” towards her former employer and exaggerated how long she had to wait for counselling support following her rape allegations to “suit” her narrative.

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NT Labor makes history appointing Australia’s first Indigenous woman to lead a major political party

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Nunggubuyu woman Selena Uibo is NT Labor’s new leader, with an almost entirely Aboriginal caucus

After a crushing defeat, Territory Labor has appointed the first Aboriginal woman to lead a major party in the nation’s history.

The member for Arnhem, Nunggubuyu woman Selena Uibo, has taken up the top job alongside an almost entirely Aboriginal caucus.

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London workers slower to return to office than New York or Paris, study says

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Office attendance in UK capital similar to levels in Toronto and Sydney, thinktank finds

Workers in London have been slower to return to the office than those in other global cities such as Paris and New York, a report has found.

London was near the bottom of the pack, with office attendance similar to levels in Toronto and Sydney, according to research by the Centre for Cities thinktank, which surveyed employees and employers in six big cities.

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Australia news live: tens of thousands still without power in Victoria; poll shows growing support for drug injecting rooms

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Storms in three states is expected to ease today. Follow all the news headlines live

Crews are continuing to restore power to Victorians after strong winds damaged powerlines and left thousands without power.

According to AusNet, there are still 37,500 without power, and according to Citipower and Powercor, there are 17,484 customers still affected.

We have restored power to over 43,063 customers as crews continue repairing the power network that was extensively damaged during last night’s wild weather.

Crews are responding to more than 380 individual faults, replacing power poles, reconnecting fallen powerlines and repairing other electrical infrastructure damaged by trees, branches and other debris.

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Rise in Palestinian applications for onshore protection visas as pressure grows on Albanese government

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More than 300 Palestinians applied for onshore protection visas over June and July, home affairs department figures show

The number of Palestinians applying onshore for protection has continued to grow, increasing pressure on the Albanese government over its decision to require them to come to Australia on visitor visas first.

According to home affairs department statistics, the number of Palestinians applying for onshore protection visas increased from 119 in May to 157 in June and 176 in July.

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Australian teenagers’ mental health problems linked to vaping, study finds

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High school students with depression or poor wellbeing are twice as likely to have vaped at some time, survey of 5,000 shows

Australian high school students with symptoms of severe depression or poor wellbeing are twice as likely to have tried vaping, a new study has found.

The study also found one-fifth of students in years 7 and 8 had moderate to severe depression symptoms and demonstrated the need for early intervention targeting both mental health and vaping, experts said.

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‘Nothing unusual’ about blindness non-profit Vision Australia being led by someone who isn’t blind, chair says

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Bill Jolley says he was ‘a bit surprised at the intensity of the reaction’ after ex-chair Graeme Innes launches petition calling for appointment of blind CEO

A non-blind person leading Vision Australia is “nothing unusual”, its chair has said, as the organisation faces criticism for seeking a new chief executive through internal expressions of interest only.

Bill Jolley’s comments come in the wake of a petition launched by Vision Australia’s founding chair, the former disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes, urging the organisation to appoint its first blind chief executive.

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Rescue mission launched to save crew of yacht taking on water off NSW south coast

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Nineteen-metre vessel with two people onboard in rough seas offshore from Nowra, police say

Rescuers were attempting to reach a yacht with two people onboard in rough seas off the New South Wales south coast on Tuesday morning.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it had received a distress beacon alert about midday on Monday from a vessel 185km east of Nowra. Media reports named the stricken 19-metre yacht as the Spirit of Mateship.

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Brisbane e-scooter operator Beam loses licence over alleged breach of daily cap

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City council alleges cap on scooter numbers ‘systematically exceeded’ by 500 a day but company ‘disagrees’ with claims, saying it is ‘reviewing options’

Brisbane has become the first Australian city to kick out an e-scooter operator, after the council cancelled the licence for Beam to operate over allegations it regularly breached its caps.

The Brisbane city council said it would now seek a replacement e-scooter operator for the city, after an investigation found Beam had “systematically exceeded” its cap on numbers by about 500 a day. The company has denied “assertions” made by council.

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Australia news live: parts of Victoria told to plan for up to 72 hours without power; two Tasmanian emergency workers injured during floods response

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Weather situation overnight in Victoria has led to about 1,900 calls to the SES for assistance. Follow today’s news live

Delays predicted at Melbourne airport amid strike action

Melburnians catching a flight this morning may want to give themselves extra time as severe delays are predicted, with security screeners striking between 6am and 8.30am at the domestic airport.

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Australia sweats through hottest August on record, with temperatures 3C above average

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The 2024 winter was the second hottest on record since weather data collection began in 1910

Australia recorded its hottest August on record, with the national temperature 3C above average, as September kicked off with total fire bans in parts of New South Wales on Monday.

Bureau of Meteorology data showed average temperatures across the nation in August were 3.03C above the long-term average, easily beating the previous 2.56C record set in 2009.

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